


The Many Romances of Karkat Vantas

by Aelfrey



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, F/F, F/M, High School, M/M, Multi, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-05-20 19:25:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6022024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aelfrey/pseuds/Aelfrey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Do you ever have the urge to just... write down everything that happened in a situation, because it was just that over-the-top fucking amazing, or it brought you oodles of overflowing ecstatic joy, or it just hurt so much you wanted to scream and cry and tear your own heart out and stab a few times for good measure? If so, then you understand where I'm coming from with this. Before you proceed, I'll give you a word of warning: </p><p>This story is probably neither of the first two options.</p><p>(This will be a highschool fanfic revolving around Karkat Vantas, juggling school, romance, and otherworldly happenings...)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Karkat complains about Striders, and Jade decides to befriend them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! So this was just going to be a silly high school fic, but after getting several chapters in, it's turning out to be somewhat paranormal! The shippiness hasn't arrived yet, but it will ;)

It starts out pretty cliche, I guess: Just trying not to get picked on or pushed around at school because of my weird eyes, or how short I am, or the other boys calling me a "girl" because of my interest in romance. The trouble is, I let them get to me, every damn time. Lashing out and yelling and throwing wildly inaccurate punches, I was a complete mess until just before high school, when I finally learned that none of them were _worth_  my pure, unadulterated rage.

There's just two motherfucking sapsucking dipshits worthy of that, and they both think they're so damn smug, with their shades and their perfect blond hair, and their emotionless expressions; the exact opposite of everything I am. They never have to actually say or do a damn thing, either, just glance in my general direction after a particularly embarrassing rant, obviously finding amusement at my discomfort. Mostly that's Dave, though; Dirk has a tendency to be completely unfazed by everything he sees.

At least, that's what he wants everyone to think. I, on the other hand, have a different opinion.

"Are you fucking with me? He's not 'tsundere', Jade, he's an assfucking dicklicker who derives pleasure from other peoples' misfortunes! At least I have the goddamned courtesy to say what the hell I'm thinking instead of reserving judgment like it's a table at _Eleven Madison Park_ on Valentine's!"

Jade just giggles from where she's sitting at the cafeteria table. Then she puts on her best serious face, which is more like an adorable pout. It's hard to take her seriously like that. "Okay, first of all: You're being really mean, Karkat! And secondly, I don't even understand that reference! So if you're trying to steal a page from the super-elusive Strider metaphor book, I think you need some more well-known references first!"

"I--I'm not trying to steal their stupid shtick!" I complain, my face burning. I turn my eyes back down to the lackluster school lunch on my tray. "And it's a really fancy restraunt in New York, really romantic and shit, so everyone would want to go there on Valentine's, obviously! Which is why it would be hard to get a reservation there, and--"

"Okay, okay! I get it now! You don't have to explain the whole thing, Karkat!" Jade assures me, with a light pat on my arm. She doesn't notice the way I look away or how I retract my arm from off the table as soon as she removes her hand. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"Huh?" I look up at her, startled to meet those bright green eyes, made to look huge with her big round glasses, gazing intently into mine. "What do you mean? There's literally nothing to do about bullies but ignore them. Otherwise it just gets worse, obviously."

"Oh c'mon, Karkat! Maybe they're just lonely or something," she says, her wide, goofy smile making my stomach do somersaults.

"Yeah, maybe because they're just too damned 'cool' to have any fucking friends," I reply, no longer able to meet her eyes, even as my anger starts to boil. How dare they act so superior to everyone else?!

"Well, I'm going to try. Dirk is in my metalwork shop, so I bet we have at least a few things in common!"

My stomach drops. Is she proposing... hanging out with _someone else?_ Fear knots in my gut for that split second.

"But don't worry, Karkat, it's not like I'm going to stop being _your_  friend," she says encouragingly, as she cleans up her tray. Lunch appears to be over, and I seem to have missed hearing the bell.

"Right, of course not. Why would you ever stop being my friend?" I ask with more confidence than I feel. My insides are still shaky from the realization that my only friend since grade school might start spending her time with a _Strider._

"Exactly!" she agrees cheerfully. But as the crowd of students returning to class leads us on divergent paths, I can't help but worry.

I'd met her over the summer at an archery camp. My dad had pressured me into picking some kind of sport to occupy myself with, and handed me the summer activity sheet sent out from the school. I picked it to spite him, but he just sighed and sent me anyways, mumbling about how "at least you're taking an interest in something, even if it is abhorrently violent" and I'm thinking, every sport is fucking violent! Except maybe track, but I suck at running, so that was out.

Jade was brilliant. She could shoot a bullseye at two hundred yards without much trouble. I, of course, sucked fucking balls at it. So much for becoming the next Cupid. But for some reason she took an interest in me, and started helping me improve my form. By the end of the camp, I was at least able to hit the target, and she said we could keep practicing at a local archery range over the school year. We haven't gotten the chance to go more than a few times, though we do spend a lot of time helping each other with homework and hanging out.

I might, just possibly, have a tiny little crush on her. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visit to the Strider's turns into an insightful argument with Dave.

“Okay Dirk, how the _fuck_ did we end up with these two tail-chasin’ puppies followin’ us home?” Dave asks, tone pretty nonchalant. The curiosity and incredulity is still detectable, though.

“Jade’s in metalworks,” he answers, tone flat. “She wants t’see Squarewave.”

“Well that explains her,” Dave says. “What about McShouty over there?”

“Hey, I just so happen to have a fucking name, dipshit, and it _isn’t_ ‘McShouty’! There is literally no fucking difference between the perfectly normal volume that I’m using and the one you are!” Seriously. I hear no difference, no matter how many times people claim that I’m louder than others.

“Oh sure, same as you’re not short as hell,” he retorts. Always with the comebacks. It makes the knot in my gut tighten and my blood boil.

“C’mon, Dave! Don’t pick on Karkat!” Jade says, trying to diffuse the situation. In deference to her attempts, I shove my fists in the pockets of my hoodie. “He’s just a little… over-enthusiastic!”

“That’s one way to put it, sure,” Dave agrees amiably. I clench my jaw in irritation.

Things don’t get much better when we arrive at their shitty apartment. It’s on the top floor of a fifteen story high rise, and while I don’t have vertigo, a healthy fear of heights never hurt anyone. Their living room has this huge picture window from which you can see the entire city, including the ridiculous distance to the ground. Fucking scary shit.

But then it gets worse: Jade starts talking technical jargon with Dirk, and he leads her off to his room to show her his projects. I trail after them, but let’s be honest here, I’m not much of a mechanic. After listening to them for ten minutes, it became clear that they were speaking an alien language, and that I wouldn’t be getting included anytime soon. I returned to the living room.

Unfortunately, the only person there is Dave, parked on the futon in front of the tv, feet propped up on the coffee table and bag of doritos in hand. I’m caught off guard by the way the afternoon sun plays on his blonde hair and makes it look like pure gold.

I clench my fists and force myself to remember that even if he _is_ pretty, it doesn’t make up for being a total douchebag.

Deigning to sit down on the opposite end of the futon from him, I heave off my backpack. At least I should try to get some homework done while I’ve got nothing better to do, especially considering that Jade will probably be in there all afternoon. Robots are serious business, I’m told, even though it sounds like a lot of bullshit to me.

I’m just settling into math when Dave suddenly decides that whatever show he’s watching isn’t annoying enough, and decides to put on _My Little Pony_. Now, I don’t have any beef with the show itself, but the fact that there is this strange subculture of guys surrounding it makes it pretty fucking weird, especially when the ships start getting… You know what, I’m not even going to talk about that. It’s just not right.

“Hey Strider, put on something else. I’m trying to study,” I tell him. Maybe I could have been more polite. A ‘please’ would have been useful, probably. Still on edge from all the recent changes in my routine, however, I don’t have much patience left. So I don’t bother.

“Fuck no, gotta catch this latest episode,” Dave tells me without missing a beat.

“Can’t you just record it or something?” I ask, already starting to feel exasperated by the predicament I find myself in.

“Nah, it’s already most of the way done,” he determines, checking the clock on the wall. “If ya don’t like it, then skidaddle on home. Or don’t’cha trust me’n’Dirk with Jade?” Suddenly understanding fills his face. “Oooh, that actually makes a lot of sense. So that’s why you’re followin’ her around like a fucking dog. Look man, girls don’t appreciate that kind of overprotective behavior. You should cut it the fuck out.”

“I am not being overprotective!” I protest, my metaphorical hackles rising. “I came because Jade asked me to, dunkass! Maybe if you had a friend, you’d understand these fine details!”

“What makes you think I don’t have any friends?” Dave asks, actually turning to look at me now. It seems I’ve caught his attention. Dammit.

“You never hang out with anyone other than your brother, and it’s obvious to anyone with eyes that you’re a complete douchebag,” I sum up. “People who are ‘too cool for school’ are impossible to approach by others.”

“You sure have me pegged,” Dave agrees. “Too bad you’re dead wrong. I have a couple’a friends.”

“Oh yeah? Who?!” I demand. There’s no way he can be better at making friends than I am--and I’m shitty at it.

“There’s John,” he says, then hesitates. “...And Rose. She’s a’ight.”

Despite my frustration that he appears to have me beat in the friend department, I continue to heckle his social life. “Oh yeah? Just the two?! They must be the only ones who can stand you, which makes them either idiots or fucking saints.”

“Yeah, I guess John is pretty much a dork, and Rose… Well she ain’t any kind of saint as far as I know, but she sure acts high an’ mighty,” he confirms. “Still, ain’t nice to insult my friends, so fuck you.”

“Ha! I knew it,” I scoff, pleased with myself. “I bet Rose only hangs around because she has a crush on you! And of course, once she realizes what an incredibly insufferable prick you are, she’ll move the fuck on. And John obviously just doesn’t know any better.”

“Pffft, as if,” Dave says, and I can all but feel him rolling his eyes behind his shades. “If Rose has a crush on me, my name’s George Washington. Besides, y’can tell the girls that _do_ want in my pants. They’re fuckin’ all over me during recess. I jus’ can’t get a moment’s peace with how many adorin’ fans are after this hot bod.”

“Jesus fuck, I need some mental bleach to remove that image from my braincells!” I complain, dropping my head into my hands. “I suppose you have no idea how fucking ridiculous the notion of girls hanging all over you is?! I bet most of the girls at school can’t stand the fucking sight of your goddamned ridiculous shades and your obvious ‘cool guy’ act!”

“So untrue,” Dave argues. “And it ain’t an act. I _am_ cool, and my shades are rad. ‘Sides, girls love mysterious dudes, and they’re always beggin’ me to take off my shades and show ‘em my eyes. I never do, though. It would just be too much for ‘em to handle.”

“That’s bullshit! Why the fuck would anyone care about your stupid eyes?!” I exclaim, because I _definitely_ do not give a shit about his eyes. Why would anyone be curious about what color they are?! Nobody, obviously! “Name one girl who gives a fuck about it!”

Dave shifts a little uncomfortably, and a blush creeps across his face. “Well… there’s Terezi,” he says.

“Terezi is fucking crazy,” I retort. “Name another one.”

“Jane’s always tellin’ me she’ll solve the enigma eventually,” Dave adds, but it’s obvious his list isn’t as long as he was leading on, because he shuts up after that.

“So you have two girls, one insane and the other who’s an aspiring detective, who ‘beg’ to see your eyes on a daily basis,” I sum up, incredulously. “Even if that constituted ‘adoring’ I’d hardly call two ‘many’. See, this is the cool guy act I was talking about! Just spewing bullshit about yourself like that somehow makes you better than everyone else, bragging yourself up to be more than you actually are. Are you covering for some kind of insecurity? Lack of self-confidence?”

He’s silent for a long moment, and I start to feel like I actually hit a nerve. “My show’s over,” he states. “I’m goin’ to my room.” With that he stands up, abandoning his bag of doritos, and heads upstairs.

The rest of my visit to the Strider’s residence is fairly uneventful. After completing the majority of my homework, I pester Jade about it being time to leave.

“Oh wow! I had no idea it had gotten so late!” she exclaims, then turns to smile brightly at Dirk. “Thanks for having us over! I had a lot of fun. Do you think we could do this again sometime?”

Dirk shrugs. “Sure, I don’t mind.”

Damn it.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning at school, Dave Strider sees me coming towards my locker and makes an intentional move towards me. I figured he might want to chew me out for what I said yesterday afternoon, but instead he just shoves his shoulder into mine hard enough to make me drop everything I’m carrying.

“Fuck you!” I growl, feeling pissed. He doesn’t even look back at me as I scramble to pick up my things.

“Hey, what happened?” Jade asks, rushing up to me, a worried expression on her face. “Did Dave just push you?!”

“He might as well have,” I tell her. “Fuck, it doesn’t matter. He can have whatever beef he wants with me, I don’t give a shit.”

“No, Karkat! If he’s bullying you, you should tell someone!” Jade insists.

“Look, it’s not like he does this all the time or something,” I say, warmed by her concern. “Unless he continues I’m not going to make a big deal about it.”

She makes a little frown of displeasure at my answer, but seems to decide to let it slide, and helps me pick up the rest of the books.

“Well, let’s get to class before we’re late!” she says, and I nod, both relieved that she’s not pushing the issue and anxious because Dave is actually in my homeroom. It just hadn’t ever been something I was really concerned with before, but I hadn’t ever warranted this kind of attention. Apparently I actually got to him with my comments the night before?

Feeling the daggers he’s boring into my head from where he sits at the back of the room, I wonder why I’ve got a sole claim on his malice all of a sudden. Maybe his friends will have some answers? John sounds like a dweeb, so I decide to seek out Rose in my next class, which I just so happen to have with her. 

When the bell rings, I hurry through the halls, partly to avoid Dave, and partly to get there early enough to have a conversation with her before the class actually starts. I’m fortunate that she’s really into her literature studies, because there she is, sitting near a window looking serene as she taps a pencil against her chin, her gaze fixated on the page of a notebook.

“Uh, excuse me. Rose, right?” I ask. I don’t think I’ve spoken with her before, despite knowing exactly who she is.

She looks up with an owlish look. “Hello. Do I know you?”

“No, not really,” I admit. “I just have some questions about a mutual acquaintance.”

“Oh really? And what makes you think that I would divulge information about this person, whomever he or she may be?”

“Maybe you won’t, but I’d rather be shot down than not have tried,” I reply. 

“Hm,” she says thoughtfully. “Very well. Who is the object of your interest?”

“He’s not really-- Oh what the fuck ever. Dave Strider has suddenly taken it upon himself to act like a dick to me,” I tell her. “He said you were friends, so I thought a smart girl like you might have some insight?”

“How curious. Dave isn’t the kind to single any one person out for assholery… Did you by chance do or say something that might have antagonized him?”

“Um.” I hesitated, remembering perfectly well what I had said the night before. “...Maybe?”

“Then I suspect he took that provocation as a challenge, and has since been conducting a competition of one-upmanship,” she posits.

“Okay, that might sound like a reasonable thing if I were a Strider, I guess,” I concede. “But shoving me in the hallway and glaring at me in homeroom?”

“Hm, I see your point,” she says. “Not particularly ironic overtures. This requires further observation of his behavior. Perhaps we should exchange information so that I can assist you further? Class is about to start.”

“Oh yeah, sure,” I agree, and we exchange digits. “I’m Karkat, by the way,” I add when she seems at a loss for who’s name to put into her phone.

She nods just as the bell rings for the period to start, and we take our seats.

 

To my surprise, she comes and finds me during lunch. 

“My apologies for interrupting your meal,” she says, sitting down next to Jade, who shoots a confused glance between the two of us. “Karkat has engaged my assistance with deciphering Dave’s most recent strange behavior.” Her explanation is pretty to the point, but Jade seems to understand.

“Oh! Like the thing he did this morning?” she asks.

“Yeah, that and how he keeps glaring at me whenever we’re in a class together,” I tell her. “Math was literal fucking hell.”

“I thought math was hell incarnate to begin with,” Rose says with a small smile on her lips.

“Only if you suck at it,” I retort.

“Fair enough. But, it sounds as though you’ve been having further troubles with Dave since English?” she asks, tilting her head and lifting her carefully crafted sandwich to her mouth.

“Yeah, he started shooting spitballs at me whenever the teacher wasn’t looking,” I explained. “Talk about fucking juvenile bullshit.”

“Jade, what have you observed?”

“He seems really irritated about something!” she says. “Are you sure you didn’t say anything mean to him yesterday, Karkat?”

“...I might have suggested that his cool guy act is just a cover for being insecure,” I admit. “I didn’t think he’d take it so seriously though! It was just a wild shot in the dark.”

“Well you seem to have hit the nail on the head,” Rose tells me, glancing over my shoulder. “Speak of the devil.

I look back just in time for Dave to pour milk on my head. 

“Jesus fucking Christ! What is  _ wrong _ with you, you blithering bullshit steaming pile of festering mucus?!” I shout, feeling righteous fury build in my gut, even as my eyes are squeezed shut to keep the milk out. Someone puts a wad of napkins in my hand. I figure it’s probably Jade and dab at my face.

Laughter erupts around me as I become aware that there is  _ something _ on the napkin and oh fuck now whatever it is is all over my face. 

“Karkat.” It’s Rose’s voice. She takes my hand. “I’ll take you to the bathrooms, come on.” 

“I can’t believe you just did that!” I hear Jade yell at Dave behind me. “I don’t give a fuck what you think he did to deserve it, he  _ didn’t!  _ If you think that’s the way to show off what a fucking cool guy you are, you’re dead wrong, Dave. You’re just another bully!”

Her footsteps catch up with us a few minutes later. 

 

The girls drag me into the ladies’ room to help me get cleaned up. “Are you sure I’m not going to get into trouble for being here?” I ask, for probably the fourth time.

“Relax, Karkat,” Rose assures me. “You have a valid reason for being here, and we’re with you, so calm down. We’ll explain if anyone freaks out.”

Between the three of us we’re able to get most of the milk out of my hair and off my face, along with apparently spaghetti sauce. My black turtleneck sweater is unsalvageable without a washing machine, however. It seems to have kept it from soaking through to the black tee I wear underneath, however, so I reluctantly fold it up. 

“Wow, you look really good in that,” Jade says, looking surprised. 

“I feel naked,” I grumble, rubbing at my exposed neck nervously. 

“No way! You look great,” she assures me with a broad smile, and pulls me into a hug that’s probably meant to be reassuring. Instead, butterflies appear in my stomach and start trying to escape with a vengeance. I swallow, hard.

“Alright, Jade,” Rose says, softly. “I think he’s had enough excitement for one day.”

“No fucking kidding,” I agree. “Any idea what  _ this _ was all about?”

Rose purses her lips. “Even with my vast reading in psychiatry I can’t imagine what must be running through Dave’s head. Unless it’s some sort of reverse psychology move, like the time he used to pull on my ponytail to get my attention…” She gives me a curious look. “Hm… I suppose it’s  _ possible…” _

Jade claps a hand to her mouth. “You don’t think he’s…?”

“What?” I ask, feeling a little out of my depth with this conversation. “What is he doing?”

“Karkat, you have to understand, my cousins are extremely emotionally stunted,” Rose begins. “But I think this is Dave’s way of showing you that he likes you.”

There’s this moment where I swear I can feel my heart stop. “What?” I demand. “How is that even possible?! I’ve done absofuckinglutely  _ nothing _ likeable! I fucking hate his guts!”

“Like I said, they’re extremely emotionally stunted,” Rose continues. “Given how he’s being raised by my… uncle, I’m surprised he even knows how to express his emotions at all.”

“No, this is too fucking ridiculous,” I declare, moving out of the restroom. “I refuse to believe this bullshit.”

“Karkat, wait!” Jade exclaims, but it’s too late. I’ve made my escape down the hall, and I’m headed for the gym. I’ve undoubtedly missed the class after lunch, so I figure, why bother with slipping in for the last five minutes? Might as well just get ready for physical activity. 

 

Dodgeball.

Why do I get the feeling that the boys use this game as an opportunity to try to physically harm one another?

At the very least, that’s the feeling I’m getting from Dave today, glaring at me from across the gym’s meridian. It’s not that I can actually  _ see _ him glaring, it’s more like I can just  _ feel _ his eyes boring into me. 

My fears are soon proven true as he literally aims every one of his shots at me. I’m not actually that great at these kinds of games, although I’m more motivated to dodge the ball than ever. Still, I get captured several times and Dave takes every opportunity to gloat about it.

By the end of gym I feel worn even more ragged than usual, Dave having gotten several other of the boys ganging up on me, and my own team not really showing that much concern over it. Not that I expected them too, the traitors.

Just two more periods until school lets out, I remind myself. Then I’m free from the shackles of… Oh shit, Jade didn’t make plans to go over to the Striders’ again, did she?! I whip out my phone to text her and make sure.

 

CG: JADE. ARE WE MAKING ANOTHER EXCURSION TO THE STRIDER RESIDENCE AFTER SCHOOL TODAY?

CG: PLEASE SAY NO.

GG: oh no, karkat! im so sorry, but i already did!

GG: you don’t have to come if you don’t want to, though. i don’t want you to have more trouble with dave!

CG: NO, IT’S FINE. I DON’T WANT TO MAKE YOU GO THERE ALONE.

CG: NOT THAT I’M BEING OVERPROTECTIVE OR ANYTHING!

CG: I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET HOME SAFE, OKAY?!

GG: i understand! you’re a really good friend, karkat!

GG: but i’ll be just fine.

GG: dirk’s really nice, and i know he won’t let anything bad happen to me!

CG: … IF YOU SAY SO, JADE.

 

I sigh. This isn’t the way I want things to be right now, but I literally have no choice in the matter. It’s not like I’m Jade’s boyfriend or something, and even if I were, it would be shitty and possessive of me to get jealous over an obviously gay dick like Dirk. Dave, however, worries me.

The rest of the day passes without incident, thankfully, and my nerves have a chance to recover from being constantly aggrieved, although I can’t help but be paranoid. The first few months of high school had been pretty blissful, but if the bullying was going to start back up, I would have to revert to my middle school persona and scare the living shit out of everyone just to keep myself safe.

It feels weird to walk home without Jade, though. I repress the urge to text her constantly, because that’s just me being a worrisome pest, and she doesn’t need that when I know perfectly well she’s enjoying herself. Gizmos and gadgets are a passion we just don’t share.

Instead of brooding, I plug in my earbuds and turn on some tunes from my phone, beating the pavement in time to the dance music. It’s chillier under my jacket without my sweater, and I try to speed up, keep the blood pumping and from freezing out in this late fall weather. I get onto the path through the wooded park that I usually take home.

About a third of the way into the park, a chill suddenly runs down my spine. I look up, and it’s gotten eerily dark from the storm clouds gathering overhead, which is weird, because I could have sworn the weather was supposed to be clear and sunny all week. The wind must have changed.

Just as I decide to continue before the heavens decide to open up and pour buckets of rain on my unprotected head, someone lays a hand on my shoulder.

I practically jump out of my skin, whirling around. One of my earbuds comes loose and falls out, and find myself facing none other than Dave Strider. I pant to catch my breath, just staring at him.

“What. The. Fuck,” I demand, as soon as I’m not dying of oxygen deprivation. “Don’t you have anything better to do than follow me around?! Fucking creep!”

Dave manages to look a little abashed, but mostly he just glowers at me.

“What?” I ask, suddenly feeling genuinely intimidated. 

“John don’t like bein’ called an idiot,” he says, at long last.

A sudden blast of wind from behind makes me shudder, and I glance behind to see an… eerie figure dressed in blue, his hair blowing a mile a minute in the wind. He has a strange, almost-glow about him, and a pallid shade to his skin that makes him look almost ghostly.

“Right, okay,” I say, feeling more than a little shaken, and I turn to face John. “Sorry I called you an idiot without knowing anything about you.”

He grins mischievously, showing off his buck teeth, weirdly cute in a way that I wouldn’t have expected. His laughter sends chills down my spine, almost like the howling of the wind. 

“You were a lot of fun to fuck around with today, Karkat!” John says, still wearing that bright smile. It makes me feel a little dead inside to see it on his freakishly pale skin, though, and his eyes are too blue. “But I can’t have you ruining everything with Dave.”

An even stronger gust of wind blows at me, and suddenly the rain starts to fall in a torrent. I decide this is the perfect time to get the fuck out of here, and start running towards home. When did it get so dark, though? I should have had at least an hour before sundown! How much time did I spend standing around talking to those two? It only felt like a few, maybe ten minutes. 

It quickly becomes apparently that I’ve gotten myself lost. I hadn’t really done much exploring in this park, and definitely not at night. Shit. I pull out my cell phone and dial home, but it tells me I have no signal. Fuck. How about Jade? No signal. I stare at my meager list of contacts. ...Rose?

It starts to ring when I dial her number, and I sigh in relief.

“Hello?” she asks. 

“Hey, Rose,” I say. “I… I’m lost, and Dave is out here somewhere with his friend John, and it’s fucking raining buckets, and I can’t seem to get through to anyone else…”

“Hello?” she asks again. 

Panic forms in my gut. Can’t she hear me? “Hello, Rose!”

“If this is a prank call, it isn’t very funny,” she says. “I’ll give you one last opportunity to say something.”

“Rose, it’s me! Jesus fuck why can’t you hear me?!” 

A moment later she hangs up. My stomach drops and I squat down into a crouch. What the fuck is going on? I decide the only logical thing is to text her. Maybe something was wrong with my voice receiver?

 

CG: SORRY ABOUT MY PHONE, I GUESS IT’S NOT LETTING ME TALK FOR SOME REASON?

-Message not sent.-

CG: OH FUCK, NO, PLEASE THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING.

-Message not sent.-

CG: OKAY, FUCK IT, IF YOU GET THIS, ROSE, I’M IN JUNIPER PARK AND I’M LOST. PLEASE SEND HELP.

-Message not sent.-

 

I put my phone away. This is getting… It’s not okay. I’m not okay. What the fuck is happening to me? It’s like some kind of horror/thriller movie. I take a deep breath. I’m not a big fan of those, but I’m familiar enough with the kinds of plots they follow. Let’s see. Lost and alone in the woods, I’m apt to run into some kind of deadly creature. Like a wolf or a bear, or a sociopath, or a ghost, depending on the genre. 

I’m beginning to lean towards ghost, to be perfectly honest. John seemed to  _ control _ the wind, something which I’d dismissed at the time, but made a lot more sense if he were a ghost. Messing with electronics is also something ghosts are supposed to be able to do. Otherwise I would suspect this were a prank of some kind, but how the fuck would he be able to screw with my phone signal?

I stand up again to get my bearings, listening intently for the sound of the road. When I think I’ve determined a prospective direction, I head that way, stopping every so often to listen again. Finally I find myself at the edge of a road, and I step onto the sidewalk, heading down the road to try and find a street sign. 

Eventually I do, and it seems I’m only a few blocks from home. I barely allow myself to feel relieved, hurrying towards my street in a vain attempt to be on time. My phone’s clock is clearly off when it says it’s only four-thirty.

It’s only when I step onto the porch of my house, a duplex, that I finally let myself relax. I reach out and let myself in, and the smell of a home-cooked meal and the soft hum of the tv reassure me that I’m not dreaming. 

I stand there, dripping wet, for several long moments. Just as I'm about to go further in and get some dry clothes and say hi to my family, my phone dings suddenly, telling me that my messages finally sent. I quickly add onto them.

 

CG: SORRY ABOUT THAT, ROSE. I HAD A WEIRD EXPERIENCE IN THE PARK AND MY CELL SIGNAL CUT OUT. I’M OKAY NOW.

TT: I’m glad to hear it, Karkat. I presume that was you earlier with the dead call?

CG: YEAH, I DON’T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THAT. I WAS TALKING BUT YOU WEREN’T HEARING ME.

TT: I hear that sometimes happens in thin places.

CG: UH, WHAT?

TT: Nevermind me, I’m just glad to hear that you’re alright. 

CG: YEAH, ME TOO. THAT WAS ONE OF THE CREEPIEST, EERIEST THINGS THAT’S EVER HAPPENED TO ME.

TT: By the by, have you heard from Jade since after school? She said she was going to text me, but I haven’t heard from her yet.

CG: OH, SHE PROBABLY JUST GOT BUSY WITH DIRK. THEY’RE WORKING ON SOME KIND OF PROJECT TOGETHER.

TT: She’s at the Strider’s residence?

CG: YEAH. I DIDN’T WANT TO LET HER GO ALONE, BUT SHE WAS WORRIED THAT I’D HAVE ANOTHER ENCOUNTER WITH DAVE.

TT: Karkat, I need you to meet me at their apartment building immediately.

CG: WHAT? WHY?

TT: I know you’re confused, but I need you to trust me, Karkat. This could mean Jade’s life. Hurry!

CG: WHAT THE FUCK?! NO, EXPLAIN NOW! 

CG: …

CG: ROSE?


	4. Chapter 4

My breathing comes heavily as I run to the part of the city where I remembered the Strider’s residence being. I’d been right about losing time; my phone claimed it was two hours earlier than my home clock. I had only stopped into my house long enough to discard my backpack and exchange my wet clothes for dry ones, grab an umbrella, and a few snacks to keep me going. I managed to avoid my family in the process, which is a relief, all things considered. They would just end up worrying.

Actually, I didn’t see them at all. Obviously I avoided all the places that they would have been, but… It’s definitely disconcerting.

Pushing it out of my mind--mainly because there’s way too much unsettling shit happening right now to worry about my family--I head towards downtown, where the Striders live in the heart of the city. 

It’s a little nerve-wracking, walking in the evening to the center of town, and I see a lot of people. I really wish that Rose hadn’t sprung this particular bomb on me.

Is Jade okay? Why would she be in a life-threatening situation? 

I have no fucking clue, unless it turns out that Dirk is a sociopath serial killer or some cliche bullshit like that.

Once I reach the building, I approach the entrance. Just then, my phone pings, informing me I have a text message.

TT: Karkat, while I applaud your bravery in approaching the building so casually, I suggest that you come across the street to the nearby alley.  


TT: It is here that I am plotting our move to rescue Jade.

Startled by the realization that she’s been watching the building, and by extension, me, I forego replying to glance up and have a look around. Sure enough, there’s someone waving to me from across the street. I hurry to meet her.

“What the flaming flying fuck is going on?!” I demand in a loud whisper. I suppose I do actually know how to lower my voice when circumstance demands it.

“Hm, yes,” she responds, far too casually for my liking. “That is the question of the hour.”

“Yeah, and you seem to have the answers, so spill already,” I grumble, crossing my arms and leaning against the cold red brown bricks of the alley wall. “If Jade’s life is in danger, then why the hell are we out here instead of kicking the Strider’s goddamned door down?!”

“Well, it’s just that the situation is delicate,” Rose informs me, somewhat hesitantly. I get the impression that she isn’t as certain of what’s going on as her texts had let on. “You see, the Strider brothers have a very… touchy guardian, and with Jade being the way she is, I’m very seriously concerned that she might end up on his bad side.”

“Okay, I take it that their guardian is shitty and abusive?” I venture, unsure why else being on this guy’s bad side would be… Well, bad.

“That’s one way of putting it,” Rose agrees, although I can tell she disapproves of being so blunt. “The point is, we need to rescue Jade in a way that doesn’t further antagonize him.”

“That’s just wasting time, Rose,” I say, and move out of the alley. “The only way we’re going to make sure that Jade doesn’t get hurt somehow is by going and getting it taken care of!”

“Karkat!” Rose exclaims, but I’m not going to let her stop me. Jade’s my only friend. I can’t let her get hurt. Rose seems to resign herself to helping me, because a moment later she’s at my elbow. “Fine, we’ll do things your way.”

One elevator ride later, and we’re standing in front of their apartment door. Rose seems too hesitant to knock, which seems weird given her usual composure. Shrugging it off, I raise my hand and rap on the door.

It takes a little for anyone to answer, but when the door does open, to my relief it’s Dirk. “Uh, hello,” he says, looking us over. “What’s up?”

“Is Jade still here?” I ask quickly. 

“No,” he says, and for a moment I’m relieved. “Bro insisted on taking her home.”

“Bro?” I wonder aloud.

“Me’n’Dave’s older brother,” Dirk answers. “He basically takes care of us. Anyways, what are you two doing here? You worried about her hangin’ here?”

“Yeah, kind of,” I reply defensively. “You got a problem with that?!”

“Nah,” he responds with a shrug. “I get it, you don’t got a lotta friends. Gotta hang on to the ones you do have, right? Just be careful not t’cling onto her too tight, y’don’t want to smother her.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I say through gritted teeth. I don’t need his damn advice on how to keep my friendship(s)! 

Rose finally pipes up. “Sorry for dropping in on you like this, Dirk. How is Bro doing today? Is he in one of his moods?”

“Hm, didn’t seem like it,” Dirk answers, an eyebrow raised over his stupid pointy shades. “Why you so interested, Rose?”

“Just curious,” she responds with a soft smile. “Well, we had better get going, Karkat. It’s a bit of a walk home!”

“Yeah, sure,” I agree, not actually sure that leaving is the right option. But if Jade’s not even here, there’s no point in staying. “See you at school, Dirk.”

“Likewise.” Dirk stays in the doorway for a little, watching us go, before retreating inside and closing the door.

Once we’re back in the elevator, I turn and give Rose a leveling stare. “Okay, start explaining. Why the fuck did you drag me downtown after dark? Jade’s fine. What the fuck is there to worry about?! It would take a pretty sick motherfucker to do anything to a nice girl like Jade.”

Rose worries her bottom lip, not meeting my gaze. “It’s… complicated,” she says at last. “And not really my place to talk about. You’ll have to ask Jade.”

“Ask her what?” I demand. “Did she suddenly come down with some kind of disease? Is she a lesbian? What the fuck kind of secret would some shithead Strider be pissed enough about to want to hurt her?”

She sighs as the elevator dings and lets us out. “Fine, since you’re obviously not going to have any peace of mind until you know. But it’s pretty unbelievable.”

“Try me,” I say, feeling particularly miffed at the moment.

“Well, you see… What if I told you that all the myths and legends about supernatural creatures, such as vampires and werewolves were true? And what if I told you that people who hunt them exist as well?”

“Okay, yeah, that’s pretty far-fetched,” I say, skeptically.

“It’s understandable that you’d take that stance,” Rose says. “But consider your encounter today in Juniper Park. It was no ordinary occurrence, and the entity you saw was no ordinary person.”

Recalling the events of the afternoon sent shivers down my spine. “So what are you saying, that I ran into a ghost or something?” The notion had crossed my mind a few times.

“Yes, that is exactly what I’m saying,” Rose says, looking me dead in the eye. “Although I’m of the understanding that he’s more of a poltergeist, presently. Take a little time to digest that, and then consider this: What if Jade is not entirely human? And what if the Striders’ guardian just so happens to be a hunter?”

I can see her point clearly enough, but… “I’ll need some kind of proof,” I tell her. “Give me evidence that there are vampires and shit.”

“Well… I could introduce you to Kanaya,” she muses. “She’s always interested in meeting new people.”

“Sure, why the fuck not,” I blindly agree. “Let’s meet Kanaya.”

"Hm, alright," Rose agrees. "But first I think you should text Jade and ascertain her status."

"...You mean you didn't do that before demanding I come down here?! Rose, what the actual fuck!" I glower at her in irritation, but just then a man comes through the apartment entrance, catching my eye.

Maybe I would have overlooked him if he didn't have the same shitty anime shades as Dirk, or a swagger that spoke volumes of his ego and hubris. Or the way he's wearing this tiny smirk that makes me want to punch his teeth out. He passes us by in just a matter of moments, but it's pretty obvious to me: That's Bro.

Rose lets out a sigh of relief. "Okay, we need to make our escape," she tells me, leading the way out of the building. I'm not too keen on sticking around, myself, so I go ahead and follow her out. "Don't forget to text Jade!" She reminds me.

Rather than risk forgetting, I decide to do so immediately.

CG: HEY, JADE. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU GOT HOME ALRIGHT AFTER YOUR VISIT WITH THE STRIDERS. ROSE WAS CONCERNED.  


CG: LET ME KNOW YOU'RE SAFE WHEN YOU GET THE CHANCE.  


CG: SORRY IF I'M BEING NEEDY OR SOME SHIT. I GUESS I JUST GET WORRIED.

I let several minutes pass between each text, and her lack of reply is pretty disturbing. But, it's always possible she turned her phone on silent for some reason, I remind myself.

Then again, something really fucking horrible could have happened. I glance back towards the high rise where the Striders live. A shiver runs down my spine as I consider the possibility that Jade could be seriously injured or worse.

“Hey, I think we should stop by Jade’s house first,” I find myself saying. “I want to make sure she’s okay.”

“Is she not answering her phone? Worrisome,” Rose agrees. “Alright, we will make a detour.” 

I suddenly find it weird that Rose seems to know a lot about Jade. Did they know each other before high school? I don’t know anything about Jade having other friends… But she acts like she knows Dave fairly well, and Rose seems to know a fuckton about her, too. Why wouldn’t she have introduced me to her friends--or fuck, even mentioned them?! 

A tangle of emotion rises in my heart, aggravating my already not-so-great mood. It occurs to me that if Rose is telling the truth about all this supernatural bullshit, that Jade kept that from me, too. I remember little things that, on their own, were meaningless: the smell of dog that always lingers on her, the times during the month that she would vanish for several days, the way she follows scents to their source dang near every time. The way she can hear things whispered ten feet away. It adds up, and my blood runs cold.

The frustration fades as we approach the mansion that Jade lives in with her Grandpa. Lit only by the amber streetlights, the iron gates seem eerily menacing. I actually find myself considering scaling the vine-covered stone wall rather than approach and hit the intercom. Fortunately, Rose does it for me.

A minute or two after she presses the button, a voice crackles forth. “Welcome to the Harley estate.”

“Hello Arthur,” Rose says cheerfully. “I’m terribly sorry to be imposing so late in the evening, but we were wondering if Jade arrived safely home tonight?”

“Why, Miss Lalonde! A pleasure to see you, as always,” the voice replies. “Oh, yes, Miss Harley arrived approximately half an hour ago, quite safely. Would you like to come in?”

“Not today, Arthur,” Rose replies. “We have some other business. We were just worried because she wasn’t answering her phone.”

“Ah, I will pass on your concern, in that case,” Arthur says. “I’m sure it was merely an oversight. Will there be anything else?”

“No, but thank you, Arthur. Goodnight,” Rose says, and promptly turns away from the intercom. “Well, now that that’s settled, do you still want to meet Kanaya?”

“It’s pretty fucking late,” I complain. “My dad’s going to have a conniption.” 

“And yet, you’re not turning to head home,” Rose notes with a coy smile. “You want your curiosity sated, do you not? Then come with me, Karkat.”

A chill runs down my spine as I follow her into the city.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Karkat meets a vampire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is so short after taking so long to deliver it to you guys! My life got eaten by a very cool game. 
> 
> I'd just like to put here that I'm very grateful to my friend Sapph for beta-reading most of these chapters and being generally awesome. <3
> 
> Also, I'm a little stumped on where to go next, so the next chapter might take a bit longer! Feel free to post suggestions in the comments! Maybe one of you guys will inspire me ;) I will, of course, be sure to credit you if that occurs!

By the time we reached Kanaya’s apartment building, doubt had been filling my mind for a while. If this person really  _ is  _ a vampire, there’s a distinct possibility that she might, like, want to drink all our blood or something. Rose, however, seems completely unperturbed by the notion of visiting a vampire, and while I might be uncomfortable, my curiosity and pride drive me forward, preventing me from asking ludicrous questions that might make it seem like I’m starting to believe all this tripe.

Then again, if Kanaya is  _ not _ a vampire, what the fuck is Rose’s game?

The apartment building is fairly low, standing at just three stories, being on the outskirts of the downtown area. It’s a dull, brown building with faded green trim, and looks a bit rundown with the paint chipping off in places.

Rose leads me inside and up the stairs to the second floor, and then marches me along the corridors. Looking around, I notice with a shiver that none of the doors are marked by numbers, like one would expect of apartments. It’s eerie as fuck, especially when Rose stops by a similarly unmarked door. How did she know which one it is? Did she count them or something?

She knocks on the door, and then turns and smiles at me in what is probably meant to be a reassuring manner. I am not reassured.

“Are you really so worried, Karkat?” she asks, speaking for the first time in a while. I nearly jump out of my skin at the sound of her voice. “Do you want to turn back?”

“You fucking dragged me out here,” I complain. “Why the fuck would you give me the opportunity to turn back  _ now?” _

“I never forced you to come along,” she points out. “Although it would certainly have shown your true colors if you had not.”

I bristle, about to launch into a tirade, when the door opens slightly, and a woman peers out. I’m struck by her pale skin and jade-green eyes, green make-up and dark hair giving her a very gothic appearance.

“Ah, Rose. It is good to see you again,” Kanaya says, her eyes then fixing on me. “Who is this?”

“This is Karkat,” Rose replies. “He needs some ‘proof’ that vampires exist.” I don’t miss the wink she shoots at Kanaya.

“Oh, I see. Very well, you may come inside,” she says, and opens the door the rest of the way. 

Rose gestures for me to go first, with that smile and knowing glint in her eye that unnerves me, but I set my jaw and cross the threshold into Kanaya’s apartment.

Surprisingly, the place is decorated in bright, airy colors, and there are several multicolor lamps set up in the living room. There are beaded curtains in the doorways, of varying shades of green, and lengths of green cloth hung about on the walls in an aesthetically pleasing way, along with a small but tasteful selection of paintings.

I jump a bit as I hear Rose close the door behind us. I’m not sure why, but it’s incredibly disconcerting to be shut off from the exit, even if I only have to open the door. 

“Please, make yourself comfortable, Karkat,” Kanaya says, gesturing to the couch with far too many pillows. There’s barely anywhere to sit without moving them around, which I’m a little too nervous to do as I perch my ass on the edge of a cushion. Rose comes and sits next to me, and Kanaya settles in an armchair across from us.

“So, what happens now?” I ask, after a few moments of silence. “Do you start brandishing your fangs or some shit?”

“Why, Karkat, that’s not a half-bad idea,” Rose says agreeably. “After all, I  _ did _ promise to bring Kanaya a meal recently.”

Wait, what? “Hold your goddamned fucking racehorses of doom, Rose! If you’re suggesting what I think you’re suggesting, let’s clear this up: I have absolutely no fucking intention to become a bloodsucking nightstalker, and there is nothing you can say to convince me that it’s a good idea! So no, fuck you, I am not a meal!” 

I start to get up, feeling panicky, when Kanaya shakes her head. “Rose, that jest was in very poor _taste_. I assure you, Karkat, that I have no intention of biting you or making you into a vampire. However, I will prove my existence nonetheless. After all, my dear, you  _ did _ promise me a meal.”

She gestures to Rose, who stands up with a smile that falters ever so slightly and walks over. Kanaya comes to stand behind her and wraps an arm around the girl’s midriff, and caresses her cheeks with the other, making Rose blush. I start to feel pretty uncomfortable at the sensual way Kanaya is nuzzling and kissing her neck, and am about ready to abscond when there is a flash of white and Kanaya’s fangs extend, and sink into Rose’s neck.

The sound Rose makes, though, that’s what really fucks with me. 

“Okay! I believe you! You guys just keep doing what you’re doing!” I say, jumping up, my face and ears burning as I start for the door.    
  
“K-karkat…” Rose says, her voice like molasses, eyes glazed over.

“Text me when you’re done or something, fuck!” Stalking out of the apartment, I shut the door firmly behind me. Rose failed to mention that getting bit by a vampire was nigh unto having sex.

With a shudder I put that out of my mind, and think about the ramifications of vampires existing. If so, then werewolves and ghosts and literally everything else supernatural can  _ also _ exist, and honestly… Wow, okay, I’m nowhere near ready to accept it as being real, but if it were, holy fucking shit, that’s insanely awesome.

I pace a bit, waiting for Rose to come out, my head full to bursting with questions about everything I’ve ever read. What’s real and what’s fiction? 

It feels like a long time, but in reality is probably only about twenty minutes, when the door finally opens again.

“Karkat?” Rose asks, her purple scarf wrapped neatly around her neck--hiding the mark, no doubt. 

“Yeah, I’m still here,” I answer, stepping up to the door. “So are we leaving now, or what?”

“I--I thought you might have some questions for Kanaya…?” She suggests, rather bashfully. The flush hasn’t completely faded from her cheeks.

“No, I'm pretty damn convinced that vampires exist now!" I say, hastily. I'm definitely feeling averse to another encounter with her just now. What if she's still hungry?! "So... Maybe another time. Yeah.” I hold out my hand to Rose, hoping she won’t make me walk home alone.

She hesitates, then looks back into the apartment. “Goodnight, Kanaya. I’ll visit again soon,” she says, then turns to me, her violet eyes lidded and a bit lackluster. She takes my hand and laces her fingers into mine in a gesture of familiarity I wasn’t really expecting, or particularly merit, but I don't let go. “Alright, Karkat, let’s go home.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

“Karkat, I was worried sick about you! Do you know how close I was to calling the police to track you down?! Where were you?!”

“I was--” Visiting a vampire. Oh yeah, that’ll go down well. “A friend of mine needed some help. With schoolwork. I just got busy helping her!”

He stops, looking at me square-on. “You were out with a girl this late into the evening? Karkat, that is not acceptable at your age!”

“No! Not like that, it wasn’t a date or anything! I don’t even like her that way,” I retort, feeling like a great big spotlight has just been focused on me with my hand in the cookie jar. “It was just some homework stuff! A school project! I should’ve called. I’m sorry, Dad.” It feels terrible to lie to him, but what else can I do?

He crosses his arms, his expression a deep-set scowl, reinforced by the worry lines on his face. “I know you are, Karkat. Things have been tough ever since your mother disappeared, and I’ve tried very hard to be lenient with you because of it. But obviously I’ve been a little too lax! I want you home by seven o’clock every night from now on.”

“Or what?” I prompt before I can bite my tongue. It’s so easy to antagonize other people.

“Or I will ban your romance novels from the house!” He retorts, face puffing up and reddening. My stomach drops. “And I’ll start having Kankri walk you home!”

And just like that, I’m defeated. “Okay, okay! Fucking hell, you don’t have to get so upset! I’ll come home on time, Jesus fuck.”

“What kind of language is that?! You know what, just go to your room! You still have school in the morning!”

I’m halfway up the stairs when he calls after me again, his tone changed to something between strained and weirdly gentle.

“Karkat, please understand that I need to know that you’re safe,” he says, even as I’m halfway up the stairs. “You know that I love you.” Don’t you? 

I can almost hear the unspoken question at the end, and guilt fills my heart. “I know, Dad, and I’m sorry. I love you, too.” My tone seems disingenuous to my own ears, but I can’t seem to put more sincerity into it. I sigh resignedly as I trudge the rest of the way up to my room.

~ ~ ~

At school the next day, my heart aches, feeling leaden in my chest. Dave’s gone from paying me extra special attention to ignoring me except for an occasional furtive glance, which he quickly averts whenever I catch him.

I pick at my food at lunch, and Jade frowns at me. “Karkat, what’s wrong? You’re not mad because of last night, are you?! I told you, my phone died…”

“No, I’m not mad,” I answer, my tone tense, betraying me.

“Then… what’s wrong?” she asks, concern filling those brilliant eyes.

I open my mouth to speak, but the questions swirl around in my head, and I snap it shut, my brow furrowing as I fail to formulate any of them coherently. Suddenly, I _am_ upset with her. Why had she discluded me from her past?!

“...Karkat?”

My eyes flash back up to hers. “How do you know Rose and Dave?” I demand without warning. “Why did you never tell me about them?! What else are you hiding from me, Jade?!”

The surprise and confusion in her eyes cuts me to the heart, and I instantly regret my angry outburst. Oh, fuck me. What if she hates me after this?!

“I… I never meant to hide anything from you, Karkat,” she says, subdued. I hate how it’s my fault she sounds that way. “It’s just that some things about me are pretty crazy! And it was nice being around someone who didn’t judge me because of that stuff.” She gives me a sad, half-smile. “I guess that was pretty stupid and selfish of me! I’m sorry, Kar--”

“No, don’t apologize,” I interrupt. “I’m the one who’s sorry. Ever since we met, you’ve always been here for me, and I shouldn’t have taken that for granted. If you don’t want to tell me things, that’s okay.” It’s not okay that Rose butted her nose into things and made me question my friendship with Jade, that’s what.

She doesn’t look very reassured, though, pushing at the food on her tray with her spork. I start to think she’s not going to say anything before the lunch bell rings, but then she does. “Karkat… I’m not… I’m different from other kids, you know? I…”

The hesitance and uncertainty in her voice is killing me. I reach over, my hand hovering awkwardly for a moment as I debate how to comfort her, before patting her on the shoulder. “Jade, it doesn’t matter. It’s because you’re different that we’re even friends in the first place! You don’t have to tell me--” And suddenly she turns into my arm and ducks her head against my chest, effectively shutting me up.

“Thank you, Karkat,” she says, her voice muffled and shaky. Oh no, is she crying? Did I make her cry?! “You’re the best friend I could ask for.”

I don’t know what to say, so I just put my arms around her stiffly, forgetting that we’re in full view of the rest of the cafeteria.

“Yo, why don’t you take your buddin’ li’l romance an’ get a damn room?” A familiar figure is suddenly right next to us, and Jade shocks out of my embrace.

“What do you want, Strider?!” I growl, my lip curling in a snarl.

He scoffs, standing there with his arms crossed and a derisive expression. “I’m just wonderin’ where you get off makin’ Jade cry,” he retorts, and I very nearly jump at his throat.

I'm mid-launch from my seat when Jade grabs my arm, squeezing tightly.

“He didn’t _make_ me cry, Dave,” she says, softly. “You’re the only one who’s managed to do that.”

His expression straightens to blank, and he turns away without another word.

I look between his retreating back and Jade’s sad, watery eyes. Wait, WHAT?!

Before I get the opportunity to question her about what the fuck is going on, the lunch bell rings. With a sniff, she picks up her tray and tries to make a getaway.

“Jade--” I call, scrambling to grab the remains of my meal and push through the departing crowd of students after her. I follow her a little ways, but she vanishes into the girl’s restroom, and I’m not brave enough to follow her in there without a decidedly female escort. I’m obviously not to be privy to this part of her past, and the knowledge weighs heavily on me as I trudge to class.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Karkat gets some advice, and calls a conference.

Chapter 7

I wait for Jade at our usual meeting spot, but she doesn’t show. I send her a few vaguely desperate texts, but there’s no response. Maybe she just got tied up in her Metalwork shop. Then again, that probably implies she’s with Dirk, and that doesn’t set well with me, either.

And I’m not being overprotective, okay?! Between Dave acting fucking weird as shit, and their “Bro”, I have serious concerns about Jade spending time at the Strider residence!

So it’s with a heavy heart that I start walking home, taking a street I don’t usually so as to avoid going through Juniper Park again. The last thing I need on my plate today is another poltergeist encounter.

“Well well, Karkat. Fancy meeting _you_ here.” An unexpected voice, but familiar nonetheless.

I glance over to a bench where she’s waiting, the afternoon sun glinting off her candy red glasses. I’m told that behind there are her eerily blood-filled eyes, rendering her blind as a bat.

“What do you want, Terezi?” I ask, more exasperated than annoyed. I just wanted a quiet walk home to stew in my own misery, dammit.

“Oh, nothing _special_ ,” she replies, with a lilt to her voice and a smile that says otherwise. “After all, I’m not the one who followed _you_ halfway home.”

I blink in surprise. Had I really tailed her from school? It’s not impossible. We live closeby to each other, and we used to walk home together in middle school. Maybe I just stepped into an old habit?

“I was _not_ following you, Terezi! We just happened to be going the same way.” Perfect cover story.

“Don’t lie to me, Karkat. I can smell your deceit!” She cackles, showing her psychotic roots. There’s a reason I haven’t been hanging out with her in high school. “And besides, I’m here because of an _important_ development in your life. You can’t tell me you haven’t _opened your eyes_ to some new _possibilities,_ can you?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?! Literally everything that just jaw-flapped out of your mouth was cryptic jargon which is stupid and ridiculous in every way!” I cross my arms and glare at her.

“Hmph! Fine, don’t take the advice of a veritable _oracle_ who can give you meaningful advice about your situation right now! It’s not like I really care what happens to you anyways.” Oh great, now she’s pouting. How do I make it up to her?

“Terezi… Okay, I’m sorry I said that. It was bullshit and uncalled for.”

“When you put it like that, how can I refuse to forgive you?” Her wickedly mischievous smile is back. It seems that I just played my cards right into her hand. I smack my own forehead because past me is a complete idiot.

“Whatever, what’s this golden nugget of oracular wisdom that you’re so intent on imparting to me?”

She gives me a calculating sniff. “Mmmm… First let me smell your eyes!”

“Fuck no!” I retort. “I’m not going to play into your ridiculous fetish with my eyes!”

“Oh, come on, Karkat! They smell _delicious_ ,” she insists, getting up and tapping her cane over to me.

“Bullshit,” I growl, even as she comes up and leans in, standing about an inch taller than me.

She takes a whiff and screws up her face. “Karkat, what happened to your candy red eyes?” she demands.

“Nope, this is bullshit and I’m not letting it happen.” I push away from her and try to keep walking, but something hard hits my shin and I stumble. “What the fuck?!”

She cackles from behind me. “Serves you right, Karkat,” she declares, drawing her cane back in. That bitch. “I guess your dad got you contacts or something, but I can’t imagine why you would prefer that nasty drab gray over your beautiful and delicious crimson delights.”

“Because I don’t get teased for having drab, gray eyes!” Karkat retorts. “And there aren’t any weird girls with an obsession for red coming after me anymore! Imagine that!”

She’s silent for a few moments, her expression wilted. But a moment later she perks up again. “Then I’ll take a raincheck on it, because this is important information, but I’m not going to give it to you for free!”

I roll my eyes. “Ugh, fine! You can come by this weekend and I’ll take my contacts out for you.”

“Yes, that will do just fine,” Terezi tells me, her lips forming a villainous smile. I shudder and seriously consider making plans to be out this weekend.

“Great. Now are you going to get to the point of this stupid encounter or are we going to stand her all day jabbering about more useless horseshit?!”

“I’m down with either, really,” she informs me, but I can tell by the way she shifts her expression that she’s about to get serious. “So let’s be real, here. You found out that magic is real, didn’t you, Karkat? And by extension, that some of your friends are magical, too.”

I huff out a sigh. Terezi had always been trying to convince me--through underhanded, facetious, cryptic jargon, mind--that the world is secretly a place of rainbows and unicorns. Or something.

She seems to take my silence as a permission slip to continue. “Well, it just so happens that I know a great deal about what’s going on with them.”

“Yeah? Okay, shoot. What’s going on with my friends?” I’m skeptical, but given recent events, I’m not dismissing anything.

“For example, Rose has a very _fashionable_ lady friend in town, who also teaches her things about things like _magic_ and _friendship_. Or so I’m told.” She cackles again.

“Somehow I seriously doubt that they sit around watching _My Little Pony_ , Terezi.” I wouldn’t put it past some other people I know, but Rose? Nah.

“I also know that Dave Strider is being _haunted_ and now his rather _wicked_ poltergeist has trained his eye of mischief on _you_.”

She has my attention. “Okay, let’s assume you’re right. What would this ghost or whatever have against me? I don’t even know him.”

“In life, he had a pretty serious crush on Dave, probably,” Terezi replies, her nose scrunching up a bit. “Although why Dave would want to date that kid I haven’t the faintest clue. I can only imagine that he perceives you as a threat and has been trying to dissuade you from pursuing the object of your mutual romantic interest.”

“What?! I don’t like Dave!” I protest.

“Really? You’ve never looked at him and thought how pretty his hair looks in the sunlight?!”

“How do you know about that?!” I demand, teeth clenched. “That was a private, completely involuntary thought!”

Her harsh laugh rings out in the street. “But you thought it nonetheless! Now, ghosts are harder to read than alive people, but I think it’s fairly obvious that John picked up on it, too.”

I fall silent a moment. “This explains a lot, actually, but not how you knew.”

“Well, Karkat, your friends aren’t the only ones with _supernatural connections!”_ Why does she laugh so much? Seriously, it’s starting to get out of hand.

“Fine, I get it! You have some mystical hoo ha!” I sigh in exasperation. “What do I do about it?”

“About the thing with John? How should I know?!” she asks, lightheartedly. “A better question would be, what are you _thinking_ of doing about it?”

“I don’t fucking know yet!” I run a hand through my messy mop of black hair and glance at her again. “I’m open to suggestions.”

“I would ask the people who knew John before he died,” Terezi says. “Like Dave. But since you’re probably not ready to confront him yet, try Rose or maybe even Jade!”

“Rose and Jade? What do they have to do with John?”

“You’ll just have to ask them and find out!” She cackles again, and then starts walking towards home, the tapping of her cane a comforting rhythm as I trail after her.

We part ways at the usual spot. “Hey, Terezi? Thanks for the advice.”

“Just because you’ve been _ignoring_ me since high school started doesn’t mean I’m not still your _friend_ , Karkat.” And then she’s walking away.

My heart aches as I turn to my own destination. I hadn’t ever considered Terezi to be my friend, not really. We seemed to disagree on everything and fought a lot in middle school, back when I was crushing so hard on her I didn’t know what to do with myself. But it never seemed to work out and I let our relationship slip the last year.

...I guess I have more friends than I thought.

 

* * *

 

I arrive home well in time for dinner and my dad seems pleased, and we have a family meal--my dad, me, and Kankri. He’s my elder cousin who’s been living with us since my aunt and uncle vanished under mysterious circumstances a few years ago. The police never came up with anything conclusive, and their disappearance is still unsolved.

Just like my mom’s.

After dinner I go up to my room and set to my homework, but my mind keeps wandering back to what Terezi implied. It’s pretty obvious now that _something_ connects John’s death to Dave, Jade, and Rose. I keep rolling around how to approach the subject in my mind, as if there could possibly be a perfect way to bring up how someone died. I decide that I’m just going to have to handle it on the fly, as usual.

 

* * *

 

I wait until lunch to spring it on Jade, and it just so happens that Rose is sitting with us, too. I don’t really understand why she's here, but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“So who the fuck was John, anyway?”

Jade pales, and Rose looks uncomfortable. My eyes flit between the two girls as I wait for a response.

“That is… A very delicate topic you’ve chosen,” Rose says at last. “Perhaps we should discuss it in a less public locale?”

“Sure,” I agree, then turn to Jade. “Are you going to come, too?”

She looks at me, hurt in her eyes. “Why do you want to know about John, Karkat?”

My heart skips a beat, but my mouth doesn’t. “Because I have important shit to sort out with his ghost, and I need to know everything I possibly can about him. What was he like? How did he die?”

“Okay, I guess that’s fair,” she says, softly. “I don’t want to talk about him, but I will if it’ll help you with your problem.”

“Thank you, Jade,” I say, gently. Things haven’t exactly been going well between us since yesterday, and I want to make it up to her somehow. “Maybe we can get ice cream at the Midnight Cafe?” I suggest.

She lights up, although the sad glint in her eyes remains. “That sounds really nice, Karkat!”

“Sure, it’ll be my treat.” I still have some of my allowance saved up for occasions like this. And I should make it home before seven, so everything will be fine. There’s no way this can go wrong, right?

 

* * *

 

The rest of the school day seems to drag on and on. On the plus side, I don’t see Dave today. Maybe he’s sick, or skipped out for some reason? Actually that concerns me a bit, and I make it my mission to ask Dirk about it if I get a chance. The elder Strider boy is a sophomore, so the only class I have that overlaps with his agenda is art.

I have to wait until the class is practically over to talk to him. “Hey, Strider.”

“Hey Vantas.” His reply is smooth, and he doesn’t seem to look up from what he’s working on. It’s actually a pretty good rendition of Rainbow Dash, from what I remember of the bits and pieces I’ve seen of the show’s art.

“I was just wondering if your brother is doing alright,” I say, as casually as possible, but end up flustered anyways. This is so stupid. “I just didn’t see that fucktard today and I wanted to make sure he didn’t come down with a fatal case of douchebaggery or some bullshit like that!”

He scoffs. “Sure, Vantas. He’s developed a serious asshole syndrome, with a comorbid side of sarcastic jerk. Is there anything else I can help you with?” He actually looks up this time, and I can’t help but feel scrutinized, despite not being able to see his eyes behind those ridiculously dark shades. How do these boys even see what they’re doing?  
“What are you trying to suggest, Strider?! That I’d come all the way over here with some kind of excuse to talk to you? Don’t flatter yourself.” Actually, Dirk is pretty damn handsome. Not that I’d ever admit it outloud.

“Well there goes my ego,” Dirk says, a wry twist to his lips. Great, I hit another nerve with the Strider clan. “It was a nice fantasy, but let’s be real: You obviously have the hots for everyone _but_ me.”

“Okay, what the _fuck_ is that supposed to mean?!” I demand, agitated.

He seems a little surprised, though it’s hard to tell for sure. “Just that you like a lot of different people. I wasn’t trying to say anything bad about your character.” He tilts his head back down to his work. “Anyway, Dave just has a fever, nothing serious. He’ll be fine in a day or two.”

Relief floods through me and my stomach unknots. “Okay, thanks Dirk.”

He glances up at me again, although I’m not sure why. I turn away uncomfortably and go back to my desk, glaring at my shitty attempt at drawing what I remembered John looking like the other day in the park. I literally have no artistic talent. Why do I even try?

Dirk isn’t done with me yet, though, because as the class is letting out, he grabs hold of my elbow and tugs me to the side. “Let’s talk a minute, Van--Karkat.”

My stomach flutters at the way he says my name, to my eternal confusion. “Uh, sure?”

“I know there’s some fucked up shit going on with Dave right now,” he says. “And I know you’re tangled up in it, one way or another. I’m just telling you now that if anything happens to him because of whatever you’re doing, I won’t forgive you.”

Um, what? “Yeah, well I don’t intend for anything bad to happen to him. I just want his stupid haunted ass to leave me the fuck alone!”

“Haunted…?” He sounds thoughtful. “Yeah, I guess that’s one way to describe it.”

Something clicks. Dirk doesn’t actually know what the hell is going on, either. “Hey, so maybe you want to know more about this? I’m meeting Jade and Rose at the Midnight Cafe after school for a… discussion about ghosts. And John. You can come if you want.”

He blinks at me, his expression subtly shifting to a firmer, harder line. “So this is about John. Alright, I’ll be there.” Then he turns and walks off, melding into the stream of bodies shifting about between classes.

I hope I didn’t just make a mistake.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Which There Are Several Shocking Revelations

The Midnight Cafe. How do I begin to describe it? It’s a little bit of everything rolled into one: There’s coffee, tea, ice cream, pastries, and a little lounge off to the side where they serve alcohol. It always smells amazing, even with the scent of coffee mixed in (I’m not a fan).

We step up to the counter and order ice cream, and Dirk shows up just in time to pay the tab. My ears are burning because it had been my intent to treat the girls, but damn, Striders are too fucking smooth.

“I’ll pay you back,” I mutter when he coves mine, too. 

“Nah, it’s on me.” Like it isn’t a big deal. And maybe it’s not to him? It sits in my chest cavity and simmers.

Moving into the main lounge, we pass through thick curtains, like the ones that they use at movie theaters. It’s dark in here, the walls painted pitch and ultraviolet lights strung with crystals, which bounces it off the walls, catching the otherwise invisible murals of galaxies spanning the room, wall and ceiling.

Dirk leads us through, deftly taking command of this conference without even so much as a by-your-leave. I’m feeling especially miffed about it.

“It was certainly unexpected for you to join us,” Rose is saying, leaning on one hand to gaze across the table at Dirk. Somehow the girls ended up together on one side and I got shoved in next to the insufferable prick.

“Karkat invited me,” Dirk replies, ratting me out without skipping a beat. “He thought I might have something to add to whatever you’re going to discuss here.”

“I suppose you would know better than most how his behavior is differing from normalcy,” Rose agrees, taking a spoonful of her vanilla ice cream with raspberries, drizzled with chocolate, topped with whipped cream and sprinkles.

Jade is unusually quiet as she contemplates rainbow sherbert, and I dig into my bowl of strawberry cheesecake. It isn’t until Dirk’s taken a long sip of an orange and chocolate concoction that I open my mouth to start this conference off.

“So were you planning on just sitting around eating ice cream, or what?” Fucking Strider.

“I was literally one fucking second from saying something, shitbag!” I can’t even begin to stop myself from getting pissy at him. “And honestly it isn’t even up to me! Rose and Jade know why we’re here. I already asked my question! I’m just waiting for them to get around to answering.”

“Whoa, hold the coach, I’m swoonin’ from the sheer volume of people skills radiatin’ off’a you, Vantas.” Back to last names. I don’t mind one fucking bit.

Rose clears her throat. “Please, no need to argue. Obviously John’s death is a sensitive subject. We must approach it with caution and a modicum of respect, Karkat.”

Dirk’s demeanor changes, the temperature of his expression dropping from a cool breeze to freezing water in a split second. 

“Sorry,” I mutter. “I didn’t mean any disrespect to the departed.”

“I understand, and you needn’t be so worried. Simply be sure to speak respectfully… You never know who may be listening! Including the deceased, of course.”

A sort of hush falls over us then, the tension thick before it’s Jade who speaks up. Honestly I’m a little surprised, considering how hesitant she was to have this meeting.

“Well, it was about two years ago,” she starts, pouting her lip a little as she taps her chin in contemplation. She’s always been a bit sketchy in the memory department, thus the plethora of strings tied to her fingers. “It was the full moon, and there was a werewolf involved. John got torn up because he got between it and Dave.” The way she’s talking, it’s like she’s retelling a story she heard. I can’t help but wonder why John’s death makes her so uncomfortable.

“That’s a very succinct way of putting it,” Rose says, looking at Jade askance and blinking owlishly. 

“The pieces are all coming together, finally,” Dirk murmurs. “The nature of John’s death; the Strider and Harley families pretty much breaking up; the way Dave’s been the last couple years, and all the inexplicable shit happenin’ with the house. It finally makes sense.”

I look between the people at the table, Rose looking uncomfortable, Jade looking really sad, and Dirk looking intensely at Jade. 

“What the hell is going on?! Someone explain this shit in the simplest possible terms for fuck’s sake!”

“Well… It’s a delicate ethical and moral situation,” Rose starts. “This discussion is deserving of every sensitivity in regard to the complexity of--”

“Jade killed him while under the influence of lycanthropy,” Dirk states, voice flat, matter-of-fact.

“What?!” I demand, jumping to her defense, even so much as standing up and thumping my hand down on the table to stare down at Dirk. “No fucking way! Jade is kind, and caring, and there is literally not a mean bone in her body! It’s absolutely impossible that she could--”

“Karkat, sit down,” Jade says, her voice commanding, stopping me mid-sentence. I look at her and stare for a moment, before slowly returning to my seat. “I’m really glad that you think that about me, but… I…” She looks about ready to cry.

“It’s not like you were in control of your actions, Jade,” Dirk says, still with that flat, emotionless lean to his tone. “The mistake was hiding your condition and not seeking your grandpa’s help sooner.”

The expression on Jade’s face, torn between guilt and pain, sparks something in me.

“Shut up!” I yell, taking Dirk by the collar and shoving him out of the booth. “Stop saying this slanderous bullshit! Can’t you see it’s hurting Jade?! Don’t you have any regard for anyone’s feelings?! Fuck you! Fuck you and every inconsiderate douchebag like you!”

“Karkat--” I can hear Jade’s voice, begging me to rein it in, for her sake. So, I let go of Dirk’s collar, dropping him roughly to the tile floor, and stomp out of the cafe. There’s no way I could stay with these hot tears burning my eyeballs practically right out of their sockets. 

Pushing my way through the door and past a couple of people attempting to enter the cafe, I make a turn at the nearest alley, sinking to a crouch to cry my eyes out.   
But I don’t get the chance. An infuriatingly familiar voice breaks through my private, vulnerable moment. “I didn’t realize you were so full of shit, Vantas.” 

“What the fuck do you want?” I demand, not bothering to turn around. Dirk can deal with watching my back. 

“You gave everybody a scare back there,” he replies. “Very not cool.”

“Why don’t you go crawl back into the deepest corner of the sewer you came out of, and leave me the hell alone!”

“Because that wouldn’t be doing you any favors.” I hear the rubber of his sneakers shift the tiny debris of the street against asphalt, and it ignites the burning hatred of this douchebag in the innermost reaches of my pumice. “Come on, don’t sulk out here alone.” He fucking  _ dares _ to put a hand on my shoulder!

“Keep your hands off me, cretinous shitfaced spongefucker!” I shout, shoving the offending appendage off of my person. I was really tempted to bite it.   
“Whoa. Calm down, Vantas,” Dirk says, and then he seems to catch a good look at my face, and goes quiet.   
“Leave me the fuck alone,” I repeat, through gritted teeth, and looking away. 

“Nope. Not happening,” he replies. “Last thing I’m going to do is leave you alone in this state. I know from firsthand experience that where you’re at is a shitty place to be, and the last thing you need is the solitude to stew in the juices of misery.”

“What the hell would you know about the place I’m in?!” I growl, standing and turning on him. “I’m not the one who accused  _ your  _ friend of murder, am I?! I didn’t fucking hurt her in front of your face and expect you not to get mad over it! Someone has to fucking defend her, and if not me, then who the fuck is going to do it?!”

“It’s not like I lied,” Dirk replies.    
“Shut up! Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!” I shout again, covering my ears and squeezing my eyes shut. My instincts are telling me either to run away and find a corner to hide in, or stand up and fucking punch this shithead in the face.

“Karkat, stop,” he says, and suddenly he’s touching me again, putting his arms around my shoulders, and I can’t stand how close he is, how he’s invading my space and won’t let me  _ think! _

Standing up abruptly, I shove him off again. I’m about to yell more obscenities at him, but he follows me, and puts a hand on the wall to either side of my head. His shades block my ability to see his eyes, and the anxiety I didn’t understand I’ve been feeling this whole time rears it’s head yet again. “What are you  _ doing?! _ Why won’t you fuck right the hell off?!”

“I can’t leave you like this,” he replies.

“That’s not your choice!” I retort.

“You just need a reality check,” he mutters, as if speaking to himself.

“Like hell I do!” I say, ducking out from under his arms. But he seems to anticipate me, and follows my movements, shoving me up against the wall of the alleyway. 

I’m not prepared for what he does next.

He leans in and roughly shoves his mouth against mine.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this far! If you like where this is going, let me know what you'd like to see happen! I'm totally open to suggestions, as this is as much for the fandom as it is for me. ^_~
> 
> Also, I put a few tags up there that we might not see in the work, but I wanted to be safe. Oh and if you see any glaring tense issues or grammar errors, please let me know! I take pride in making my works read smoothly. ^_^


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